Overview
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Sydney and will meet Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra, where she is also set to address parliament as the first female foreign leader to do so.
- EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic and Australia’s Trade Minister Don Farrell concluded technical talks, with sources indicating little remains beyond leader approval and final detail checks.
- Market access for Australian beef and lamb and the scope of geographical indications for products like feta, parmesan and prosecco remain the core unresolved issues.
- Media reports point to a possible red meat quota near 30,000 tonnes, along with potential moves such as Australia dropping its luxury car tax, the EU scrapping a tariff on Australian critical minerals, and a compromise on protected names.
- Farm groups warn a weak deal could shortchange producers and prefer no deal to a bad one, while the government projects about A$10 billion in annual export gains tied to diversification of markets.